TNT has Chuck and Kenny Smith, and the best that ESPN can find is some guy that was an undrafted NBA journey-men, who's biggest accomplishment was winning a three-point contest?

Swerb wrote:Go start a blog if you want to tell the world your incomprehendible ramblings.

Cerebral_DownTime wrote:I have a big arm and can throw the ball pretty damn far...... maybe even over those moutains. The Browns should sign me, i'll let you all in locker room to drink beer. Then we can all go out the parking lot to watch me do motorcycle stunts.

If you are watching I wouldn't say Chicago is nervous is the root cause. They are pressing a bit as a team and not playing at their A level for sure but damn......

I would say Boozer is, well, collapsing. Rest of the team is a little jittery but Psyco T is bitching Boozer all over the floor (just picked his pocket at the 3 point line, beat him down the court for the dunk and Boozer fouled him - 5th foul - after he had clearly scored.

Noah and Deng are trying down the stretch to get this thing going.

And I swear to god Boozer failed to stay in front of Josh McRoberts twice.

I know I shouldn't, given the history and the fact that they're in Cleveland's division, but I kind of like the Bulls. Rose is a throwback- doesn't prance or showboat, just balls. Even Noah is starting to grow on me a little bit.

No need for Atlanta to phone in their shots before game 2. They'll be wide open when they get there.

Christ, the Heat are disjointed on offense, Boston's trying to get things together, the Spurs aren't healthy.....but none of that compares to the mess Orlando has. Who the hell knows what's goin' on down there. Not great having no identity and no defense.

The Round 1 storyline is going to be the officiating. That was brutal throughout yesterday and one has to wonder how much worse it can get.

McMillan touched on it after the game but I felt like Portland got jobbed big time. I won't even comment on the Philly-Heat game. I knew heading into it what that was going to be like but the Dallas-Blazers FT numbers were staggeringly lop-sided.

Playing here is the closest thing to heaven. Really, I mean it's amazing to be in a place where the fans truly cherish their football team and stick behind them win or lose. We players love them, too. I feel a sense of accomplishment playing here, we are a special breed of football players with a great opportunity." ~ tOSU LB Brian Rolle

Honestly watched every second of that Dallas - Portland game and I didn't really think the officials were the root cause of that lop sides number.

Portland reminded me of the Bucks of last year yesterday and just did NOTHING to get to the line. Sure there were a few missed calls (the Kid steal on LA was terrible) but not nearly enough to make up that absurd difference.

Today Chris Paul, playing for a team owned by Stern made Aaron Gray and Willie Green valuable NBA players. Best PG in the league. Best comparison between him and Rose I read called out comping him to Rose like comping Hakeem to Dewey.

And if you are busy being bitter about LBJ and not watching these playoffs get with it. The last day and half has taken March Madness' best, chewed it up and spit it out. Between the playoffs thus far and the Tribe I am on cloud nine.

e0y2e3 wrote:As I said after the Perk trade, it makes sense if they can wheel the O'Neal's out against the Heat/Magic.

This is a huge sign.

And no, I didn't see this coming. After Shaq couldn't run on Friday I thought the C's were done.

That said I also saw CP3 make Aaron Gray into a great NBA player today.

My heads just spinning.

Just a fantastic day of games. The big slow physical presence of Memphis that just ate SA alive, and who the f here said having bigs in the playoffs was no big deal? From the superb traditional PG play of Paul, making former Bulls fan favorite, and tall stiff white guy Aaron Gray, not so much a tall stiff. The basketball nirvana that was the Nuggets V Thunder, the OKC fanbase, and a nice finish to Boston vs New York.

Perkins while not filling up the stat sheet, gave them the physical player they need against Nene and Martin. Like I said all along Boston was dealing from what they perceived as a surplus of big slow defender types. Didn't watch much of the Boston game, from the looks of the box, doesn't seem like he had much effect. Again, only from the stat sheet.

Tomorrow is IMO 2 of the lamer series, unless the underdogs can steal a game, and take momo home.

"When a man with money meets a man with experience, the man with experience leaves with money and the man with money leaves with experience."

Disagree. Too many flukes in a best-of-five. In a best of seven the cream rises.

Fair point, but I think basketball is stable enough that you still don't have too many crazy results in a best of five series (baseball is a different story however). The only big upsets I can think of are Nuggets-Sonics '94 (where the Nuggets almost won again the next round) and Knicks-Heat '99 (where the Knicks went to the Finals). I also think the momentum of the playoffs slows down a bit as first round series drag on for upwards of two weeks. Obviously personal preference but I think the upset/urgency element of a best of five is worth the tradeoff.

And e0's point about Doc's inbound plays was spot on. The one with 36 seconds left essentially won the game. It turned a likely situation where the Knicks had the ball up one with 28-30 seconds left (they either grind the game clock down to near nothing or get fouled) to Boston getting a perfect 2-for-1. Hell, even if Garnett had missed the shot or they screwed up the pass, it still gave them time for a full defensive cycle without fouling and 12 leftover seconds for a tying 3. Just great.

Denver-OKC was a good game as well but I don't know how they missed that offensive goaltending call (Carmelo's late charge in Knicks-Celtics was iffy too as was the Heat's free throw marathon yesterday). I bitch about refs every year but it might just be time to accept that it's a necessary evil. Basketball's a really hard sport to officiate and home crowds have more of an effect than in any other sport. I'm just not sure what the solution is beyond maybe phasing out some of the older refs. College refs aren't any better beyond actually enforcing travels and double dribbles (and I'm guessing NBA refs are perfectly capable of doing the same if they didn't receive suggestions from above to let them slide).

"Well then I guess there's only one thing left to do...win the whole, f***in', thing."- Jake Taylor

1) what you want isn't changing the best winning (which the best of 7 does in hoops) what you want is the TV schedule to stop being so selfish and spreading the games out so thin (after this weekend of course, which is the best sports weekend of the year).

2) As for the calls, you are dead on re: it being the hardest sport to defend. But for a Cleveland fan to talk about LBJ and Wade getting to line is like a crack addict bitching about drug dealers existing. So goes the playoffs. There are three bad calls that stick out in my mind this weekend and all were big calls, but all also can be excused because it is an impossible sport to call. You say college regs aren't any better and I answer with college refs are WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY worse. As shark jumped as Simmons is, his idea about bringing up and training young refs is the best solution to the problem I have seen.

An absolutely incredible day of basketball. Without having a rooting interest whatsoever, I still was riveted.

Watching both the Lakers and Spurs go down on their home floors was great TV and will make the rest of those series a viewing priority. Didn't somebody on here say that the Griz were an upset pick? We shall see..

Now if we can get lucky enough to witness a Sixers upset tonight I will be real smitten with the Association playoffs.

I still think the regular season is a complete joke and low on the food chain when it comes to watching sports, but the playoffs are LEGIT, and I agree with Eye, if you aren't watching, please turn in your sports fan card. You can probably make a case for 5 or 6 of these teams winning it all this year.

This weekend's games were entertaining.This weekend's announcers were not.I am tired of hearing how guys use to do things "back in the day".The face licking of certain teams and players is also not pleasing.I just want to see a new champion, just not the Heat.

"It's all about winning for me, and I think the Cavs are committed to doing that," he said. "But at the same time I've given myself options to this point, and like I said before, me and my team, we have a game plan that we're going to execute, and we'll see what we get."